After some back-and-forth action to open the fight, Downing took control of the final three rounds and cruised to a unanimous-decision win.

The fight served as the main event of Friday’s Resurrection Fighting Alliance 5 event, which took place at Viaero Event Center in Karney, Neb. The evening’s main card aired on AXS TV.

Downing was the first to strike as a jab rocked his opponent. As he went to capitalize on the work, Rinaldi alertly looked for submissions underneath, but Downing backed away and continued to flurry on the feet. Rinaldi used a clinch to leap for a guillotine attempt and take the fight to the floor before working for a triangle choke when the first move failed. But Downing was up to the challenge and pulled free from each hold. Still, as he tried to scrambled away, he exposed his back. Rinaldi rushed to take the position, but he couldn’t capitalize as a relaxed Downing defended and pulled free.

Rinaldi looked better to open the second, and he landed heavy leather on the feet as he seemed to find his range. Blood trickled down Downing’s face, but he continued to walk forward before scoring a takedown halfway into the round. Rinaldi looked again for submissions from his back, but Downing pulled free each time with little concern.

Rinaldi scored an immediate takedown in the third round and jumped to the back. Downing defended well and pulled free even as Rinaldi slid off the back and looked for an armbar. Rinaldi continued to prove dangerous from his back by bringing his legs high and looking for openings, but Downing easily shucked off each attempt. Rinaldi briefly climbed to his feet, but he was thrown quickly back to the floor. Rinaldi’s submission attempts kept Downing from doing much damage on top, but “Demon Eyes” was dominating the positional battle.

As the championship rounds kicked off, Downing scored another quick takedown. As Rinaldi scrambled, Downing worked to the back and looked for the choke before turning to mount. Rinaldi used the transition to climb to his feet, but Downing pushed him again to the canvas with relative ease.

Rinaldi looked to push the face in the final frame, but Downing simply dumped on the canvas and returned to his grinding attack from top position. Rinaldi never stopped looking for submissions, but none ever really threatened to end the fight, and Downing was awarded a unanimous-decision win.

The once-beaten Downing becomes RFA’s first-ever featherweight champion and now boasts a three-fight win streak. Rinaldi loses for the first time in his career.

Krause taps Jordan in third, Bektic remains unbeaten

In the night’s lightweight co-feature, James Krause (18-4) used an eight-inch reach advantage to his favor, as he outworked Joe Jordan (49-14-2) on the feet before securing a third-round submission.

Krause was patient in the opening five minutes as he stayed on the outside and switched stances while launching straight punches to the head and body. Jordan tried to return fire, but he had trouble timing any counters as Krause bobbed and weaved to remain safe.

Jordan tried to pick up the pace to open the second, but Krause simply outworked him on the feet. Jordan often shook his head to insist Krause’s blows weren’t causing any damage, and he even took the time to signal to a crowd member calling his name, but there was simply no slowing his opponents methodical work. Krause signaled his comfort by launching into an acrobatic cartwheel kick that missed, but his crisp boxing was earning points.

Down two rounds to none, Jordan looked to bring things to the floor in the third, but he exposed his neck as he moved inside, and Krause latched on to a guillotine choke to end the fight.

Krause now boasts a six-fight win streak including four victories under the Resurrection Fighting Alliance banner. After scoring the victory, he let his ultimate intentions be known by sending out a message to the UFC’s matchmaker.

“Joe Silva, give me a call sometime, buddy,” Krause said.

Jordan loses for just the second time in his past 11 fights.

Mirsad Bektic (5-0) remained perfect through his first five fights as he outworked a game Doug Jenkins (6-3) en route to a dominant decision victory.

Bektic charged forward early with quick hands and then pushed the fight to the floor. Jenkins scrambled back to his feet and dropped him with a stiff counterpunch, but Bektic quickly recovered and again brought the fight to the floor, where he would finish the opening round in top position.

Bektic again pressed forward in the second and moved in for a takedown behind a right hand. Bektic controlled the action from the top and landed a few crushing power shots while also looking for a submission. Despite being mounted, a gutsy Jenkins scrambled underneath and escaped to his feet, but he was dumped immediately back to the floor and was forced back to defense. A bloodied Jenkins scrambled again to his feet in the final minute, but he was immediately dumped back to the ground at the bell.

Bektic continued his plan in the final round. Jenkins proved no easy out, as he always looked to impriove position and offer some sort of a return, but Bektic was simply too much and cruised to the unanimous-decision win.

Munhoz, Usman, Manzanares pick up early stoppage wins

In an early bantamweight matchup, Brazilian grappling ace Pedro Munhoz (7-0) kept his career record unblemished with a first-round submission win over Bill Kamery (10-4). It was Munhoz who scored a takedown early in the fight and began to look for submissions. Kamery scrambled free and returned to his feet, but when he scored his own takedown, it turned out to be a mistake. Munhoz looked immediately for a leglock, and while it wasn’t initially there, he persisted on the limb and locked in a heel hook shortly after. Kamery tapped at the 2:27 mark.

After missing weight for a planned welterweight clash with Marty Usman (1-0), David Glover (0-1) paid the price in the cage. Competing in a 173-pound catchweight contest, Usman impressed
in his pro debut with powerful striking on the feet and a capable takedown attack when he looked to take the fight to the floor. Glover, also making his pro debut, proved a gritty opponent as he tried to stay out of trouble, but as the clock wound down in the second frame, Usman unleashed a barrage of strikes as his opponent simply covered up against the cage, and the fight was waved off with 10 seconds left in the frame.

In the evening’s first main-card fight, Matt Manzanares (4-1) scored a first-round TKO with a crushing knee to the liver of Kevin Gray (0-1) just 48 seconds into their flyweight matchup. Gray collapsed to the floor, and Manzanares rushed in with follow-up punches to seal the result.